Stop Juggling, Start Coordinating: What Productive Teams Do Differently

When you think about it, you’ll probably notice that most teams aren’t struggling because they’re full of lazy or unmotivated people (although that can sometimes be the case!), but instead it’s usually because there’s just too many things happening all at once, and juggling takes up a lot of time and energy, even though it doesn’t actually get you too far ahead. And it’s exhausting.

If the team always feels behind and can’t tick much of the to-do list, it’s no wonder people are going to feel like they’re not doing a good job, which is going to have a knock-on effect on motivation and productivity. With that in mind, it’s time to find out more about how to stop juggling and start being more productive - read on to find out more.

Everyone Knows What They’re Working Towards

One of the reasons why teams run out of steam to do what needs to be done is that no one knows what the priority is or why they’re doing what they’ve been asked to do. That’s why good employers need to make sure there’s a target to work towards, and that everyone knows what it is, otherwise when the goalposts are moving all the time, it gets very hard to care about how to reach them.

If everyone is working together towards one main goal (even if it’s broken into smaller ones, which is generally a good idea), it’ll be far easier to see progress and make sure things are moving in the right direction.

They Share Information and Don’t Hoard It

There are, of course, lots of things that can slow things down when you’re working in a team, but one of the biggest to think about and deal with is fragmented information. In other words, if one person knows all the client details, but someone else knows the deadlines and someone else has the progress details, it’s only going to be a matter of time before something gets lost or missed or confused.

The best teams are the ones who communicate properly, and they’ll store information somewhere everyone can find it easily, every time they need it. And they’ll always make sure everyone knows the next step rather than just assuming, because assumptions can be the absolute end of any kind if productivity.

They Keep Tools Simple

Productive teams know how to use the tools they need, and they don’t get loads of them and feel buried and overwhelmed as a result. They choose the tools that help, and that’s it, even if there are others that look impressive - if they’re not moving things forward in an easy way, they’re not worth having.

And sometimes tools are other people - which might sound strange until you consider outsourcing. Whether it’s something broad like accounting or more niche like orthopedic practice marketing, if it’s not something your team does well, it’s better to have someone else do it and give yourself the time, space, and energy you need to be productive.

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